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4th grade · Social Studies · Unit 6 of 6

Alaska and the Nation

Oil, fish, tourism, time zones and world events

What your child practices

Alaska's industries (oil and gas, fishing, mining, tourism and the military), how its regions and cities grew, Alaska Time and other US time zones, shipping and the cost of goods, and how national and world events like World War II and oil prices reach Alaska.

Alaska content standards learning standard: SS.4.1.15.1; SS.4.1.20.1; SS.4.1.20.2; SS.4.1.25.1 · the significance of Alaska's industries, how its regions grew through economic activity and resources, and how national and global events affect Alaska

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. Alaska’s industries include oil and gas, fishing, mining, tourism and the military.
  2. Cities grew for reasons: Fairbanks from gold, Ketchikan and Sitka from fishing and timber.
  3. Alaska is in its own time zone, and goods often cost more because they are shipped far.

Example: Which Alaska city grew up as a gold-rush town in the Interior? Juneau is in the Southeast. The Interior city is Fairbanks. Answer: Fairbanks

Alaska and the Nation in Alaska

In the Alaska content standards, this is unit 6 of 6 in 4th grade Social Studies, after Regions of the United States.

Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.

Source: Alaska Department of Education and Early Development

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    Most of Alaska uses which time zone?

    • Eastern Time
    • Hawaii Time only
    • Alaska Time

  2. Question 2

    What carries oil 800 miles from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez?

    • the Trans-Alaska Pipeline
    • the Alaska Railroad
    • a river

  3. Question 3

    Gold, zinc and other metals dug from the ground are part of the…

    • tourism industry
    • mining industry
    • fishing industry

  4. Question 4

    Much of Alaska's food and goods arrive by…

    • ship, barge and plane
    • pipeline
    • horse and wagon

  5. Question 5

    Prudhoe Bay, on the North Slope, is famous for…

    • orange groves
    • skyscrapers
    • oil fields

  6. Question 6

    How can a storm or volcano far away affect Alaska?

    • it can stop planes and ships that bring goods
    • it makes oil cheaper
    • it never can

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